Players Guide
Step One: Race The first step in creating a character is to determine the character's race. ''Standard Races Each race is shown with the standard racial attribute changes, racial characteristics as well as a brief description of their various sub-racial groups. When a player selects a race for their character, they should chose one of the two racial characteristics for that character. *'Dwarf:' Same as 3.5 | +2 Constitution, +2 Wisdom, –2 Charisma | Racial Characteristics: Stubborn, Crafty *'Elf:' Same as 3.5 | +2 Dexterity, +2 Intelligence, –2 Constitution | Racial Characteristics: Aloof, Attractive *'Gnome: Same as 3.5 | +2 Constitution, +2 Charisma, –2 Strength | Racial Characteristics: Obsessed, Adaptive *Halfling:' Same as 3.5 | +2 Dexterity, +2 Charisma, –2 Strength | Racial Characteristics: Charmed, Curiosity *'Human:' Same as 3.5 | +2 to One Ability Score. | Racial Characteristics: Fearless , Empathic Sub-Races Each sub-race is then given a brief description as well as suggested origins, background and class. *'Dwarf:' **'Mountain Dwarf:' The Kazul are a proud and reclusive sub-race of dwarves that prefer to remain in their mountainous kingdoms rather than deal with others. ***Suggested Origins:'' Commoner+ ***''Suggested Background:'' Soldier ***''Suggested Class:'' (Urban) Fighter **'Hill Dwarf:' The Barzul (sometimes called 'Shield Dwarves') are a warm and friendly bunch which have left their mountain homes to create a new life in the foot hills of the Shield Mountains. ***''Suggested Origins:'' Commoner+ ***''Suggested Background:'' Soldier ***''Suggested Class:'' (Urban) Fighter **'Wild Dwarf': The Holzul (sometimes called 'Cave Dwarves') are the dwarves who have embraced their more primative ancestry and reside not in vast mountain halls but in shallow caves. They are more aggressive than their Mountain and Hill cousins. ***''Suggested Origins:'' Commoner+ ***''Suggested Background:'' Hunter ***''Suggested Class:'' (Rural) Ranger *'Elf:' **'Wood Elf:' The Sylvanari are the oldest of the Elven peoples; priding themselves on a reserved, wise culture. ***''Suggested Origins:'' Commoner, Merchant, Gentry ***''Suggested Background:'' Apprentice ***''Suggested Class:'' (Urban) Fighter **'Wild Elf:' The Crysanari separated themselves from their Sylvanari cousins after the Kinslayer Wars and explored their more aggressive ancestry in the vast wilderness of the Ivory Plains. ***''Suggested Origins:'' Commoner+ ***''Suggested Background:'' Hunter ***''Suggested Class:'' (Rural) Warrior **'High Elf:' The Solonari separated themselves from their Sylvanari cousins to explore arcane magic. After the Shadowgate Wars, the Solonari were further devided into two people: the survivors (Solonari) and those who chose to hide from their enemy in the shadows of the earth (Malanari) ***''Suggested Origins:'' Commoner+ ***''Suggested Background:'' Novice ***''Suggested Class:'' (Urban) Wizard **'Dark Elf:' The Malanari are fallen high-elves which shunned the light for a life of intrigue, political machinations and silent wars. After the Shadowgate Wars, the Solonari were further devided into two people: the survivors (Solonari) and those who chose to hide from their enemy in the shadows of the earth (Malanari) ***''Suggested Origins:'' Commoner+ ***''Suggested Background:'' (Urban) Thief ***''Suggested Class:'' (Urban) Rogue *'Gnome: ' **'Clockwork Gnome:' The Berkeron love to tinker are the merchants of their race, ever-striving to amass wealth to improve their own personal comforts. ***''Suggested Origins:'' Commoner, Merchant ***''Suggested Background:'' Scholar ***''Suggested Class:'' (Urban) Rogue **'Hearth Gnome:' The Ulevari are considered the most calm of their race, pursuing a life of comfort and of relaxation. ***''Suggested Origins:'' Commoner, Merchant ***''Suggested Background:'' (Urban) Soldier, (Rural) Guard ***''Suggested Class:'' (Urban) Fighter **'Tower Gnome:' The Gizaryl prefer scholastic pursuits above all other concerns. ***''Suggested Origins:'' Commoner+ ***''Suggested Background:'' Novice ***''Suggested Class:'' (Urban) Wizard *'Halfling:' **'Wildling:' The Hanabril are a tribal people who prefer the simpler ways of nature to that of urban life. ***''Suggested Origins:'' Commoner ***''Suggested Background:'' Hunter ***''Suggested Class:'' (Rural) Warrior **'Northling:' The Norbril are a nomadic people who prefer the open road and are constantly on the move in nomadic caravans. ***''Suggested Origins:'' Commoner, Merchant ***''Suggested Background:'' (Urban) Merchant ***''Suggested Class:'' (Urban) Rogue **'Darkling:' The Tenebril are a reclusive people who only occasionally leave their subterranean cities. ***''Suggested Origins:'' Commoner, Merchant, Gentry ***''Suggested Background:'' Apprentice ***''Suggested Class:'' (Urban) Wizard *'Human:' Special Note: As humans do not have 'sub races' they are able to chose which region their character is from. **'Marches:' Either the North or South Marches. ***''Suggested Origins:'' Peasant - Gentry ***''Suggested Background:'' (Rural) Hunter, (Urban) Soldier ***''Suggested Class:'' (Rural) Ranger, (Urban) Fighter **'Kels:' The capital cities of the largest of the human kingdoms. ***''Suggested Origins:'' Servant - Gentry ***''Suggested Background:'' (Urban) Soldier ***''Suggested Class:'' (Urban) Fighter **'Sekket:' The serpent-worshipping human kingdom in the south. ***''Suggested Origins:'' Servant - Gentry ***''Suggested Background:'' (Rural) Hunter, (Urban) Gladiator ***''Suggested Class:'' (Rural) Ranger, (Urban) Fighter **'The Wilds:' The untamed lands east of the Kessian Mountains. ***''Suggested Origins:'' Servant - Merchant ***''Suggested Background:'' (Rural) Hunter, (Urban) Guard ***''Suggested Class:'' (Rural) Ranger, (Urban) Fighter **'Petros:' The desert kingdom beyond the Iron Desert. ***''Suggested Origins:'' Servant - Gentry ***''Suggested Background:'' (Rural) Hunter, (Urban) Soldier ***''Suggested Class:'' (Rural) Ranger, (Urban) Fighter **'Northlands:' The vast expanse north of the Kels which approach the Shield Mountains in the far north. ***''Suggested Origins:'' Servant - Merchant ***''Suggested Background:'' (Rural) Hunter, (Urban) Guard ***''Suggested Class:'' (Rural) Ranger, (Urban) Fighter ''Half-Breeds Half-Breed races have no 'true' sub-race as they are a mixture of human and another race. Instead, each of the Half-Breed characters selects a 'heritage' of one of the sub-races. *'Half-Dwarf:The Zulner Replaces '''Half-Orc from 3.5 | +1 Constitution, +1 Strength, -2 Charisma. *'Half-Elf: ' The Quenari are a curious and wandering sort. Same as 3.5 | +1 Dexterity, +1 Intelligence, -1 Constitution Step 2: Class Every character advances through the game in one (or possibly more) classes. ''Starting Classes *'Barbarian: Replaced with Warrior. *'Bard: '''Replaced by Witch *'Cleric: 'Same as 3.5 *'Druid: 'Same as 3.5 with Racial Restrictions. *'Fighter: Same as 3.5 See Below See also: Fighter *'Monk:' Removed. *'Paladin:' Same as 3.5 but Paladins can be of any Lawful alignment; Good, Neutral and Evil. *'Ranger: '''Same as 3.5 *'Rogue:' Same as 3.5 with minor variations | See also: Rogue *'Sorcerer:' Replaced with Shaman . See also: Sorcerer *'Wizard: Same as 3.5 | See also: Wizard Class by Setting Depending on the setting of your campaign and your character's origin, certain classes may be more common than others. To accomodate this, the list below shows which classes are common for an 'Urban' setting (Cities and Towns) and which are common for a 'Rural' setting (Villages and Hamlets). Picking a class that is opposite to the campaign setting should involve a discussion with the Dungeon Master as this may complicate the intended story arcs. Step 3: Attributes Once you have an idea for what race and class that you would like to play, it's time to start rolling some dice and determine what kind of character you will have. * Attribute generation same as 3.5 with the following additions: Composite Abilities Step 4: Character History Once you have assigned your attributes to your character it's time to decide on some details of your character's history. Origin Every character has an origin: it's a reflection of what part of society they were born into and what advantages or disadvantages they might have access to. Depending on your character's history, the origin may provide benefits in terms of inheritences or heirlooms or skill bonuses. *'''Slave: Your character is the product of the union of two slaves. As such you were the property of your parent's master. Life has been difficult but somehow you manged to survive. You earn the flaw: Low Birth and you can chose from the flaws: Uneducated (F1) or Broken Will (F1). *'Peasant:' Your character is the child of a working-poor family. Though not property, they were often unable to produce much in the sense of wealth through their lives. As such you have struggled through your childhood and probably took the first opportunity to seek your future elsewhere. You earn the flaw: Low Birth and you can chose from the flaws: Uneducated (F1) or Unfamiliar (F1). *'Servant:' Your character is the child of the servants of a wealthy family. From an early age you were put to work in some form for the family. You earn the flaw: Common Birth and can chose from the following flaws: X *'Commoner:' Your character is the child of laborers. Though not exactly wealthy, they managed to keep a roof over your head and food on the table. You earn the flaw: Low Birth and you can chose from the following merits: *'Merchant:' Your character is the child of merchants. Growing up in such a family gained you some knowledge of their trade. You earn the merit: Skilled (M1). *'Gentry: '''Your character is the child of a wealthy family. Growing up in such a house gained you a number of advantages. Pick from the following merits: Inheritance (M1) *'Noble: Your character is the child of a noble family. Growing up as the child of a baron or march lord gained you a number of advantages. You have earned the merit; Noble Birth and you may pick from the following merits: X Background Once your character's origin has been selected, you can chose your character's background. This selection is intended to express the character's life up until they left for their first adventure (everything up to level 1). Each background comes with a required origin and gives you several bonuses to your character. These bonuses can include Skill Proficiency (two skills which the character can consider 'in-class), Languages (some backgrounds may allow the character to learn specific languages), Equipment (some backgrounds provide starting equipment for the character). as well as other additions. Inspiration Aside from the Character's origin and background, every player should have the opportunity to create the character they wish to play within the game. To accomodate this the Chronicles of Arn utilizes Inspiration Points. Each character starts off with three (3) Inspiration Points which may be used to purchase merits, additional skills, rare or exotic equipment, etc. Merits and Flaws Aside from the character's origin and their background, the player can select from a number of Merits and Flaws to add further flavor to the character's concept. It is suggested that the player record the merits or flaws resulting from their Origin and Background. Merits awarded in those two categories do not affect one's pool of Inspiration Points however flaws taken will given one additional Inspiration point for each flaw point. So, if a character has a slave origin and given the flaw (Low Birth) as well as a selection of other flaws (only 1 additional), they will have two additional Inspiration points to spend at the conclusion of the character generation process. See also; Merits and Flaws Faith Every character, from the Slave to the Noble, has some kind of connection with a chosen deity. Whether the character actually prays to them or worships them in any way, the relationship is still present. Faith is an important quality of every character as it reflects how they may be healed through divine magic and what deity they would call upon for aid should the need arise. In the Chronicles of Arland, faith is reflected by the character's faith score. This is a representation of how strong the character's belief in their god or goddess is at any given time. This faith can then be used at holy sites dedicated to their paton deity in return for Divine Favors. Divine favors are esssentially a clerical spell that is bestowed upon the character in return for their Faith Pool. Each divine favor costs twice the spell level of the associated spell. So if a character wishes to receive a divine 'Blessing' (level 1 Bless Spell), it would cost them 2 Faith. Earning Divine favors, generally, can only happen within a holy site dedicated to their patron deity. Faith scores range from 0 to 9 and can be improved or deteriorate depending on the character's actions. The example actions below should only be regarded as such: examples. This mechanic is in place to assist the DM in their tracking of how the character is behaving in the world in and out of combat and how their deity will view their actions over time. Should a character fall out of faith (a faith score below 2), it may be necessary for the character to enter into a Divine Pledge to restore their connection with their deity. Divine Pledges are pacts made with their deity that the character will complete some task in return for gaining the deity's favor once more. Pledges are only awarded once the quest has been achieved. Patron Deity The deities are listed below both by class and by race. The character is empowered to chose any deity though the following are just suggestions. Changing Patrons''' Should a character wish to change their patron deity, they will have to reduce their faith in their current deity to 0 and then begin improving their faith with their newly chosen patron. This is most often accomplished through a Divine Pledge. While the character is 'between deities', they will be unable to be healed through divine magic as their current deity will not permit them to be healed by their own clerics (or others of their court) nor will their new deity heal them (or by their cleric / court) until they have successfully changed their patronage. DM's may permit a character to change patron within a Divine Court (Court of Law, Balance or Chaos or the Courts of Light, Neutrality or Darkness) slightly easier than changing patron within a different court. Such changes are often difficult as they will result in a change in the character's alignment. Background *Merits & Flaws *Profession *Faith